The family of a woman tragically killed by her husband while their daughters slept nearby is grappling with a profound sense of loss and disbelief, as shared with the Daily Mail.
Isobella “Izzy” Knight, aged 32, lost her life to her husband, Paul Knight, who strangled her in their Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire residence on June 13 of last year. The incident was fueled by what has been described as Paul’s jealousy.
The morning after the tragic event, Paul Knight requested his mother to care for their two daughters, before unsuccessfully attempting to take his own life.
Subsequently, Paul abandoned the scene, crashing his car in the parking area of a McDonald’s restaurant nearby.
In an emotional conversation with the Daily Mail, Georgina Davies, Izzy’s younger sister, recounted the devastating moment they learned about the murder of her “selfless” and “caring” sister.
Initially, they received news of Paul’s involvement in a car accident and tried in vain to reach Izzy. Concern grew when their mother arrived at the home to find it marked off with police tape, confirming their worst fears.
Ms Davies said: ‘I was at home cooking dinner when my mum phoned me. It was about 6 o’clock on the Friday, and she said, have you heard from Izzy? I said: “No”.
‘I sent Izzy a voicemail at 3 o’clock that same day, and she obviously didn’t reply to me, but I never thought anything of it, because she’s so so busy with the children.
Isobella ‘Izzy’ Knight, 32, (pictured) was strangled to death by ‘jealous’ Paul Knight at the home they shared together in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, on June 13 last year
Ms Knight is pictured with her younger sister Georgina Davies (right), who has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her
Paul Knight had previously admitted the manslaughter of the beloved mother and daughter
‘I just thought, you know, she’ll reply. Obviously she didn’t, and I told my mum that on the phone.
‘We then had a call that Paul had had an accident but we couldn’t get hold of Izzy. He had crashed into McDonalds.
‘Then my mum went around to the house where they live and she said that it was a crime scene. There was tape all around it.
‘I phoned my mum and she couldn’t even speak to me. She was in that much of a state, and then my stepdad spoke to me, and he just said “she’s gone”.
‘I was not accepting of it and I was screaming down the phone saying that it was not true.
‘I feel like this is not my life. I feel like I’m living in a nightmare and that I’m going to wake up and it not be true.’
Knight, 36, previously admitted manslaughter but had denied murdering his wife – with a two-week trial due to begin yesterday morning.
However, just as the case was about to start, Knight, an area sales manager for a property business, changed his plea to guilty.
Mrs Knight is pictured with her sister. She had two young children
Knight, 36, previously admitted manslaughter but had denied murdering his wife – with a two-week trial due to begin yesterday morning
His barrister, John Lloyd-Jones KC explained to Northampton Crown Court that he had met with his client before Christmas and he had decided to admit murder.
In the summer, Ms Davies set up fundraiser for Ms Knight’s two children, who have now lost both their mother and their father.
The GoFundMe page has already raised more than £16,000 from 459 donations.
Ms Davies said: ‘Izzy was my older sister, and we’ve grown up together. We went to the same schools. We’ve done like everything together in terms of like stages of life.
‘We’ve both got children. She’s got two – they are five and two and I’ve got two children – a six month old and an 18 month old.
‘We were extremely close, and because of the children and we would meet up like every week. We spoke every single day on voice notes. It was always about the children.
‘She was genuinely the most gentlest, selfless, caring, nurturing woman, and all that she cared about was those children they became before anything in life.’
Ms Davies added: ‘The response to the GoFundMe has been amazing.
‘I shared it on Facebook and it just went up quicker than I had ever expected.’
In the summer, Ms Davies set up fundraiser for Ms Knight’s two children, who have now lost both their mother and their father
Knight kept his head bowed during the hearing in court yesterday.
Mr Lloyd-Jones said: ‘He has never denied that he unlawfully killed the victim in this case.
‘He pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the first opportunity.
‘The events of that night have been a source of huge anguish for him as, of course he accepts, they have been for a very large number of other people.’
Mr Lloyd-Jones then asked that the count of murder could be put to his client again.
As the clerk read the charge, Knight looked down and then replied ‘guilty’.
Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking warned Knight that there was only one sentence she could pass, that of life imprisonment, but that she must decide the minimum amount of time he will serve before he becomes eligible for parole.
To donate to the GoFundMe page set up in memory of Mrs Knight, please click here.
